Traffic chaos and flood at Duff's Bottom gas station [Photo Astrid Wenzke]

Torrential Rain causes more problems than Hurricane

The government of the BVI continues to assess the damage from the persistent heavy rains that plagued the territory since November 8th. Inclement weather disrupted life in the territory as a strong tropical disturbance affected the islands, bringing heavy persistent rains daily, clearing some only early this week.

The Department of Disaster Management reported 6.1 inches of rain up to last Sunday. But other equally reliable sources have reported as much as 16 inches up to Saturday last week.

Several roads, including the main road into Ballast Bay/Cane Garden Bay, Belle Vue and Paraquita Bay were blocked with mud, debris and fallen trees for some time, causing traffic to back up for hours as residents tried to get home after work last Friday. Some roads were also undermined and motorists are asked to continue to exercise caution.

Severe flooding occurred in the Pasea Estate area in the vicinity of Riteway supermarket and also around the Wickham's Cay roundabout, adding to the traffic congestion and causing significant damage to several Main Street businesses. An electronic equipment sales, service and repair business in the Purcell Estate area suffered substantial damage. Water levels rose to the bonnet level of vehicles in these areas, stalling some cars as they tried to drive through the flood.

A Mitsubishi lancer set ablaze Saturday afternoon in the J. R. O'Neal Plaza after it ran out of gas when the owner tried unsuccessfully to start it. No one was hurt in this incident. The Fire and Rescue Services department extinguished the fire before the car was destroyed.

Crews from the Public Works Department, with help from many private individuals, worked tirelessly to clear blocked ghuts and drains throughout the territory and by late Friday evening, much of the roads were cleared. In the main, the road networks and specific communities across Tortola were affected by either rock fall or landslides or by flooding.

Jost Van Dyke experienced rock and landslides in Little Harbour, but there were no rock or landslides reported on Virgin Gorda. Jost Van Dyke also experienced substantial flooding in the Great harbour area around the school and district clinic, while Virgin Gorda experienced flooding at Nail Bay. There was no significant flooding reported in Anegada.

Reports are some residents in the Cane Garden Bay, Sea Cow's Bay, Road Town and Ballast Bay areas had to receive relief assistance from the BVI Red Cross, by way of bedding, roofing, clothing and home care.

Schools throughout the territory were also affected and classes had to be called off for over a week. Particularly hard hit was the BVI High School, which reported over saturated grounds.

A number of events were also postponed due to the inclement weather, including the BUY BVI trade Show, scheduled for November 14th and 15th. The venue, the Sir Rupert Briercliffe Hall, was reported to be flooded rendering it unusable.

Chief Minister Dr. the Honourable D. Orlando Smith said he and his Ministers had surveyed the damage, put a damage assessment team together and they were scheduled to report on the initial damage this week. The Damage Assessment Team, comprising officials from Public Works, Town and Country Planning, Conservation and Fisheries, Environmental Health and the Department of Disaster Management, are compiling the initial damage costs. Chief Minister Smith thanked everyone for their community spirit in helping out their neighbours in this time.

In a radio address aired on Wednesday Chief Minister Smith said: "Looking forward, we must recognize the difficulty of the work ahead. We understand the hardships that have been borne already, and we must prepare ourselves for further inconvenience in the coming days.

"Let it be perfectly clear: In the work that lies ahead no resident of these islands shall stand alone. This government is absolutely committed with all of its energy and all of its resources to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with every homeowner and every business; every neighborhood and every community to act as full partners in clearing the waters, repairing the damage and quickly returning to our normal lives." Dr. the Hon. Orlando Smith announced the formation of a Reconstruction Task Force: "The relevant government agencies are now in the process of putting together a plan to provide the necessary funding for all recovery efforts. "We are exploring all options including externally and as a first step we propose to make funds available to the Development Bank to on-lend to those in need at a very reasonable rate of interest. Obviously this lending will be based on clearly established criteria. We are also calling on all other relevant institutions, including the Social Security Board to provide whatever assistance and support they can."

Leader of the Opposition the Honourable Ralph T. O'Neal also commended everyone for pulling together and he said government would have the opposition's support in the restoration effort.

The Department of Disaster Management continues to encourage motorists to continue to watch out for floodwaters and additional landslides. Persons whose homes are near to unstable areas are advised to be on the alert. The Environmental Health Division is advising the public to boil all drinking water. Homes that have been flooded should be cleaned with a mild disinfectant.

The public is also being advised that water distribution points have been set up at East End Police station, Cane Garden Bay Police Station and the home of Tonya Bertie in Little Apple Bay.

The Water and Sewerage Department is offering water testing at its Baughers Bay location.